


A Bullet With Your Name On It

by ICanAtLeastTry



Category: Portal (Video Game)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:07:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23652826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ICanAtLeastTry/pseuds/ICanAtLeastTry
Summary: An AU in which Aperture is a lot more evil and takes human testing to more of an extreme. Set during the 60s when it was run by Cave. In this AU they stuck GLaDOS in a cyborg-esque body instead of a huge computer, her personality is more reminiscent of Portal 1 than 2 because she still has the cores as little "voices" in the back of her head. Basically they break out and then try to bring down Aperture together.
Relationships: Chell/GLaDOS
Kudos: 24





	A Bullet With Your Name On It

Chell’s eyes flickered open. Her eyes were slightly clouded by the fluid in the test tube but she could see out of it nonetheless. The lab was rather dark, lit only by the various blinking lights and computer screens scattered about. The only other signs of life were in the form of scientists and another test subject across from her they were busily chattering in front of, some gesticulating wildly. This continued on for a bit before they eventually quieted down, some in anticipation, and some resigned, as if their arguments had been heard but dismissed. A tall man with greyed brown hair and thick rimmed glasses stepped forward towards the subject, a girl, with shock white hair and impossibly pale skin. She wore a matching sports top and shorts similar to the ones Chell herself was wearing, skin tight, waterproof and white, the colour of almost everything in the facility around them. The young woman had a scar, which seemed rather recent, over her right eye, and while Chell could clearly see her bone structure, she could also see some other definitions along her skin that had clearly been added later on, as they were often accompanied by small scars of varying degrees of healed, as well as some so recent they still had sutures. She seemed to be implemented with some sorts of cybernetic parts, and was not only contained in a test tube similar to Chell’s, but also behind a thick layer of glass. Her face held a neutral if slightly pained expression, as her long hair formed a halo around her, giving her almost an ethereal, angelic glow. Chell’s trance was broken as the scientist entered a password onto a nearby computer screen and a countdown appeared in place of a homescreen. The woman’s unharmed eye shot wide open, completely white for a millisecond before an electronic yellow pupil flickered on, which then darted around the room before settling on the scientists. The countdown finished and the test tube opened from the side, fluid flowing out as the young woman collapsed onto the ground in front of her. As she lay on the floor breathing heavily, struggling to get up, the scientists errupted into cheers, celebrating a successful creation, one still alive after the “modifications” brought to it. They then dispersed from the glass, gradually making their way over to other flickering computer screens nearby or jotting down notes on little clipboards they had been previously clutching, all while chatting amicably. Chell’s eyes however, had not left the woman in the glass cell across from her. She had managed to get up to her hands and knees, and was shuddering violently, while the small “additions” Chell had noted earlier seemed to writhe under her skin in a way that confirmed that these indeed were not bones. Her head shot up and her face twisted in white hot rage, her teeth bared back like those of a cornered wolf, and her eyes shooting daggers as she looked from scientist to scientist. Of course none of the scientists noticed this, as it was all part of normal procedure. People did not generally like being experimented on, so were not usually very friendly when woken up. Something in this particular subject’s eyes gave Chell pause however. She didn’t seem at all worried about her current condition. There was not an ounce of fear in her eyes, just pure unbridled hatred. Suddenly, the woman stopped shaking. The writhing things under her skin shot out through it, piercing not only the woman’s own flesh, but also the thick glass in front of her. Now that set the scientists off. Alarms blared and the scientists ran about the room in a panic, unsure what to do as the exit seemed to have initiated lockdown as soon as the alarms had started. The things that had shot out from the woman’s sides, back and hands appeared to be some sort of metallic tendrils with a sharpened point at the end of each one. The woman took no time using these to slice up her captors, cutting through both skin muscle and bone like a knife through butter. Blood flew in all directions as clean slices of scientist scattered around like grotesque bits of salami. After a few minutes it was done, the woman was left standing alone in what was now a pool of blood and viscera as alarms blared and shadowed her face in flashing red light. Chell felt her heavily beating heart come to a complete stop when the woman looked up from the carnage and met Chell’s eyes with her own. Chell couldn’t have been more terrified. It was her turn. As the woman slowly advanced towards her with a determination in her eyes, Chell braced herself for the end. She figured at least this was better than continuing life as a test subject. It would be a quick end, almost without pain, she figured. She closed her eyes and felt the glass break around her and the test tube fluid rush out with it. She collapsed on the floor and gasped for air, slowly sitting up to look her killer in the face, to at least die with the dignity to not show her fear. She opened her eyes to meet one cold, yellow one staring down at her. Chell looked back up, her eyes neutral, not showing any trace of emotion. The girl knelt down to her, cupping her chin and tilting her head to one side and then the other. Chell still did not show fear, her eyes set on what was most likely soon to be her killer, almost challenging that yellow eye to deliver the final blow. This was not, however, what happened. Instead, the woman smiled in a way that was almost warm, but had an element of danger behind it, like she didn’t mean the smile whatsoever but was using it as a way to tell Chell she wasn’t going to kill her. The woman grabbed her hand and helped her to her feet, then led her towards the door, now covered in bloody handprints and nail marks from the scientists she had just butchered. The cyborg’s tendrils sliced through the thick metallic door with as much ease as it had through the scientists. The alarms turned to sirens, multiplying throughout all the adjacent corridors as more blinking red lights followed in kind. Heavy footsteps echoed through the halls, getting closer and closer. The woman turned to her head towards her, a slightly unsettled look in her eyes and an even more unsettled grin on her lips. She squeezed her hand, and in an almost human voice, levelly said: “Run”.

Chell ran as the woman darted through the facility, iron grip still holding Chell’s hand and dragging her along, both of their legs carrying them with added speed. The woman’s long tendrils sliced through any and all guards that crossed their path before they even had the chance to fire any bullets. They ran through slick tiled halls, making their way towards the center of the facility instead of towards the outside. Chell almost felt bad for the guards and scientists that had the misfortune of being in the halls they darted through, but found that being their captor had left her rather indifferent about the matter, and she simply followed the woman as she worked her way deeper into the building.

Eventually they reached a central chamber, guarded by more heavily armed soldiers. There were enough of them that a few had the chance to fire their weapons, and a couple bullets hit Chell and the other woman, as the latter diced them and their guns into thick chunks. The woman didn’t seem bothered by any of her new wounds, so Chell did not give any indication of hers either as the doors of the central chamber opened before them. A large computer screen loomed in front of them, and the woman slowly worked her way towards it while slicing up the few scientists that happened to be in the room. Chell followed behind her. The woman stopped in front of it and her tendrils floated around her as she quickly typed information into the computer. Chell watched as she scoured their systems for any information about a so-called “ Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System '', plugging her tendrils into the computer and seemingly downloading everything she found into her own cybernetic parts. Once she was done, she unplugged from the main computer and entered more data into it. Two gas masks fell out of a compartment to her left and she offered one up to Chell as she fastened the other around her own head. Chell put hers on as well as the woman typed more into the computer, which then quickly displayed a large, flashing warning and asking for confirmation to proceed with the release of a deadly neurotoxin through the ducts of the facility. Ah, thought Chell, hence the gas masks. The woman quickly turned to make sure that Chell had hers on before slamming her fist down on a large red button, grabbing her hand and bolting through the facility, this time towards the exit. As they ran through the facility, she heard the hiss of gas from vents in the ceiling. The woman no longer sliced up the passers-by as the two dashed past them as the scientists, guards and other employees were already either dead on the ground or slowly choking on the fumes being released, their hands clawing at their throats, sometimes even coughing up blood. Chell didn’t envy them, but didn’t dwell on it, more focused on the swell of anticipation she felt being so near the exit of this hellish place, almost feeling the cold air on her skin, and smiling giddily at the renewed concept of freedom. After one final door they finally burst into open air. Chell looked up at the sky. The moon shone brightly down on them, and the stars twinkled mesmerizingly around it. After carefully closing the door to the facility behind her, Chell ripped off her gas mask and breathed in the fresh air of the night. She hoped the facility behind them was sealed, but honestly, she was too impatient to breathe fresh air again after so long that she didn’t much care. The other woman looked at her skeptically, but after seeing Chell hadn’t doubled over in pain after a few deep breaths, sighed and carefully removed her gas mask as well. The other woman walked towards Chell and grabbed her shoulder, turning her towards the building they had just exited, which was still making a great deal of noise, and flashing lights could still be seen from the few windows at the front of the building. “We need to leave”, she said. Chell nodded and the woman darted off, and Chell followed close behind her. 

\--

After a while, they were far enough from the facility that it could no longer be seen or heard, and they found themselves deep in the forest that surrounded the area. Such a secretive facility was obviously quite far from any towns or cities, so they decided they had run far enough away for their immediate needs, and slowed their pace to a walk, eventually stopping in a small clearing. Chell watched the other woman sit down on a rock, and taking the cue, slumped down on a nearby tree trunk, eventually sitting on the ground with a thud, now feeling the exhaustion from running around and then away from the facility, as well as her wounds from their run in with the guards around the central chamber. She looked up at the other woman expectantly. The cyborg had settled herself on the rock daintily, her legs crossed and her hands set daintily on top of them. She looked down at Chell and smiled politely, almost a completely different person than the woman who had slaughtered almost an entire payroll of employees. “I hope you’ll excuse my manners, but I trust you’ll understand that our particular place of meeting was no place for an introduction”, she continued. “I suppose I should give my name, although I can’t seem to recall my human one. My project name, the one used by the scientists, was GLaDOS, so I suppose that’s as good as any”. The woman, GLaDOS, looked pensive for a few seconds, then turned her gaze to meet Chell’s, “And you are?”. Chell opened her mouth confidently but found that no sound came out. Right. She had forgotten her vocal chords had been damaged during her time at the facility. The scientists had plenty of resources, so they weren’t exactly careful with their subjects, often even being purposefully cruel in order to cull weaker test subjects, who wouldn’t be able to undergo their procedures. Chell wrinkled her nose in disgust, staring at the ground and silently cursing them. It wasn’t like she had to talk much at the facility, so it had momentarily slipped her mind. She looked back up at GLaDOS, who raised an eyebrow expectantly, “What”, she said “cat got your tongue?” Chell smiled nervously and gestured to GLaDOS that she couldn’t communicate verbally. “Ah”, GLaDOS said, in the same monotone, slightly robotic voice she had spoken in for all of their short conversation, “the bastards”. “Do you know sign language then?”, Chell shook her head. GLaDOS sighed, “Well then, I suppose your introduction will have to wait until we get some pen and paper then, pity, I’d like to have at least something to call you.” Chell thought about this and looked about her, she noticed a small stick lying on the ground, picked it up and wrote her name in the dirt at her feet. “Chell”, GLaDOS repeated, shrugging “it’ll do”. Chell chuckled silently, then held her side as she felt a sharp pain where the bullets had pierced her skin. GLaDOS looked down at her with a concerned expression, “We should probably get somewhere that isn’t the woods if I’m going to treat us properly, I snatched a few wallets as we made our way through the facility, so it should be easy enough to get a place to stay while we figure out what to do next”. With that, GLaDOS slung Chell up into her arms and started running in the direction opposite the one they had come from. Chell felt sick, her wounds were being jostled by the sudden movement causing her a great deal of pain. Her eyes rolled back into the back of her head and she drifted out of consciousness as they sped through the forest.

\--

When Chell awoke once more, a small, warmly lit room came into view, it didn’t look like anywhere Chell had seen before, so naturally she wondered where she was. She sat up groggily, blinking and wincing at the stab of pain in her side. She felt bandages through the sheets though, so that meant the woman, ah right, GLaDOS, had patched her up while she slept. GLaDOS had walked over as soon as she had sat up, hovering over Chell’s field of vision with a mix of concern and curiosity. “Ah so you’re awake then, feeling better?”, she asked. Chell nodded. GLaDOS hummed and sat on a chair she had pulled up next to Chell’s bed. She had swapped out her lab clothes for a flowy white dress that reached her knees, and Chell saw a neatly folded pile of other casual clothes on one of the dressers behind her. “Feeling up to introductions yet?”, she held out a hotel paper pad and pen, dangling it in front of Chell. Chell huffed and took it, scribbling down the basics.

_ My name is Chell, I am 24 years old. I’ve been in the facility for 9 years. I don’t know how I got there, I passed out on my way home from school and woke up there. My voice box was damaged in the facility. They’ve modified my body in some ways as well, I can fall from great heights without damage, and have more endurance than I did before. I am also stronger. Your turn. _

She handed the note to GLaDOS and watched as she read over it. The woman hummed again, “Short and sweet isn’t it? That’s alright, basics are a good place to start after all.” She cleared her throat and began her own introduction, “Well, as I’ve mentioned before, my ‘name’ is GLaDOS, and while this body is human I am most certainly not. I’m an AI”. GLaDOS smirked as Chell raised an eyebrow at her skeptically. “Yes that’s right!”, she continued, “a genuine artificial intelligence, right before your very eyes! All the processing power and logic of a computer combined with the powerful emotional drive and biting, acerbic wit of your best specimens”, she stated proudly. Chell rolled her eyes.  _ That sounds like a sales pitch _ , she wrote and held up for GLaDOS to see. The AI read it and laughed, “maybe because that’s what it was meant to be”. She exhaled and smiled as she continued, “I was actually supposed to eventually run the facility you know. My central processor is quite powerful, and as you saw earlier it’s quite easy for me to hook up to their computers. I would have happily obliged of course, but they had this pesky little habit of being rather horrible to me, and I decided I’d had quite enough of that, as you can probably tell”. Chell thought back on the events of the previous night, or however long it had been, and nodded.  _ How long was I out? _ , she asked. “Just a couple days”, she said casually, “I fixed you up and got some supplies though”. She gestured towards the pile of clothes as well as a small pile of food. Chell frowned,  _ Are you an android? Do you eat? _ , she wrote down and held up to GLaDOS, who then huffed and sat back down. “I suppose I wasn’t done explaining, was I?”, she sighed, “I don’t know who my body used to belong to but it is human. Whoever it was, they scooped out their brain and stuck me in here instead. They did put a fair bit of extra armour and gadgets on it to make it stronger, as well as make it compatible with my processing systems instead of a brain, but except for that it’s the same as any other meat bag, so yes, I do eat”. Chell looked at her skeptically,  _ Meat bag? You don’t seem to have a very good opinion of humans do you? _ GLaDOS laughed, “I suppose not”, she admitted, “the ones I’ve met so far have left a lot to be desired”. She looked up at Chell, “You however, have yet to disappoint me”. Chell smiled sarcastically,  _ How comforting _ , she wrote. GLaDOS laughed, “See! It might not be saying much, but you do seem to be the best human I’ve met so far”.

\--

When Chell got up the next day, GLaDOS had gone out. She felt much better than she had the previous day, and she took the opportunity to wash up, and permanently throw out the lab clothes in favour of something both warmer and less clinical. She chose a white tank top and black jeans from the pile, putting them on quickly, then choosing an orange jacket from the top of the pile when she still felt cold. She glanced over at the mirror and lightly brushed off the jacket, before heading over to grab an apple from the table where GLaDOS had put the food. When she was about half-way through, GLaDOS burst through the door and set a few maps down on the table. “Well, I figured since I’ve never been outside, and you haven’t in a while, we could use some maps to figure out where we are. I asked around and apparently we’re in a little town called White Sulphur Springs, which is in the state of Montana”. She pointed at a large map of Montana, “which is why I got this”. Chell nodded and gave GLaDOS a thumbs up. GLaDOS smiled and looked back down. “Now, I don’t know where you’re from, and if that’s near here, but there’s something I have been meaning to talk to you about”. The smile faded from GLaDOS’ face and she sat back down, looking at Chell with a serious expression. “I’m unsure if you have a life to go back to, I certainly don’t, and so I’ve been thinking about what happens to us now that we’re out. Personally, I didn’t very much like what I went through in that facility, and knew that when I got out my first task would be to bring it, as well as the administrators of my project, which they handled so poorly, to its knees”, she stated matter of factly, although her eyes betrayed a deeper burning resentment. “I would appreciate any help you could offer in that regard if you were so inclined, but ultimately, the choice is yours”, she finished, looking up at Chell. Chell pondered this, on one hand, she agreed wholeheartedly with the sentiment, didn’t really want to kill everyone in her way either. She knew that many of those who had perished during their escape attempt had probably had nothing to do with her time at the facility, or any sort of human experimentation, the facility had been large, and she knew that that couldn’t be the only thing being tested there. It wasn’t like Chell exactly had a life to go back to, she barely even remembered her life before the facility in the first place, and bringing down the facility that had caused her to lose her voice as well as her freedom was more than alluring. “I can give you a bit to think about it”, GLaDOS proposed, but Chell shook her head,  _ No, I want to come with you. But no killing minor scientists like last time, only the ones responsible. _ GLaDOS huffed, “Let the negotiations begin”.


End file.
